The embodiments herein relate generally to ball retrieval devices.
Individuals engaging in sports or recreational activities often maneuver a ball on the ground such as a tennis ball, golf ball, bocce ball, baseball, cricket ball, and the like. Picking the ball up from the ground generally requires individuals to bend over and reach for the ball. This movement is problematic because it places an individual's body in an awkward position that subjects him/her to stress in his/her back, arms and other body areas.
This is a common occurrence in tennis because players often serve dozens or hundreds of tennis balls during a practice session. These balls become scattered throughout the floor on the tennis court. Bending over to pick up the tennis balls from the ground increases the chance the player will suffer pain and/or injuries to his/her back, legs, arms or other body areas.
Several ball retrieval devices exist as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,088,320, 5,947,850, 5,383,661, 7,112,153 and 3,989,247, and U.S. Patent Application Publications 2011/0224032, 2006/0094545 and 2007/0111830. These devices comprise a variety of ball retaining components such as arms, lips, wires, jaws, and the like, attached to the racket. The user maneuvers the racket to pick up a ball on the ground via the ball retaining components. However, these ball retrieval devices have several limitations. In particular, these devices: 1) do not effectively retain the tennis ball in place once picked up from the ground; and/or 2) are inefficient in picking up balls due to the difficulty in maneuvering the devices.
As such, there is a need in the industry for a tennis ball retrieval apparatus that addresses the limitations of the prior art, which effectively picks up a ball from the ground with enhanced efficiency and retains the secured ball in place.